Rotary engine.



Patenfed July I, I902. C. TUCKFIELD.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Nov. 15, 1901.)

(No Model.)

Fig.1

UNITED STATES 4 PATENT OEEIcE.

CHARLES TUOKFIELD, OF EAST MOLESEY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR- OF TWO- THIRDS TO DYSON WESTON: OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ROTARYi EVNAGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'fatent No. 703,502, dated July 1, 1902.

Application filed Novemberl5. 1901. Serial No. 82,388. (No model.)

To aZZ whmn it may concern.

Be it known that 1, CHARLES 'lUcKEIELD,

Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which.

the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, the improvements being applicable to both hi gh-pressure and compound rotary engines.

According to'the invention I provide a casing or cylinder having a drum which fits therein and is mounted upon a shaft passing through the covers or ends thereof. drum is formed with one or more peripheral grooves, which, however, do not extend completely around the drum, so that the annular chambers which are thereby formed are stopped at one point. In conjunction with each of the grooves, which are of a suitable shape in cross-section, such as half-round or taper, I arrange a similarly-shaped sliding abutment or piston, which fits into the groove and is held therein, preferably, by the pressure of steam behind it. Ports openinto each groove on either side of the aforesaid sliding abutment, so that when steam is admitted through one port the drum is driven around,-

the steam escaping through the other port after the stop in the groove has passed the abut- 11161113. Sufficient space is advantageously left between the consecutive grooves to permit of the insertion of packing-rings.

In practice I find it advantageous to con-- struct an engine which can be employed either as a high-pressure engine or as a compound engine, and in this case a suitable form of distributing-valve is fitted to the motor to enable the change to be effected.

In the accompanying drawings Ihaveillusrtrated by Way of example my'improvements applied to a motor which can be employed as a high-pressure motor or as a compoundmotor.

In the said drawings, Figure lis a longitudinal section of the motor. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan of the motor with the valve-cover and valve removed. Fig. .4. is a section of the This ports.

works in the valve-chest 70.

valve similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but

showing it in a different position; and Fig. 5 is a section of the compound piston or drum.

a is the casing or cylinder, and b is the drum,'which is mounted upon the shaft 12',

passing through stuffing-boxes in the covers fac of the cylinder.

.c c d d are four peripheral grooves which are formed in the said drum b, the said grooves being shown taper in cross-section and forming peripheral steam-passages, which, however, do not extend completely around the drum, as the grooves stop at one point, as

clearly shown at e, Figs. 2 and 5.

f f are the abutments, which are of a shape to conform tothat of the peripheral grooves and which work in recesses gin the cylinder a, being heldin contact with the bottoms of the grooves bythe pressure of steam admit- .tedto the recesses g g behind them through the passages h. (See Fig. 2.)

it" are steam-inlet ports, and jj' exhaust- Zc isa valve-chest which is provided upon the top of the cylinder, and Z is the valve which This valve Z is providedwith two longitudinal passages 'm and n, respectively, which serve as inlet-ports forthe steam, and with two exhaust-passages 0 and p.

When the valve is placed in the position indicated in Fig. 2, the engine operates as a compound engine, the steam entering the steam-chest through the pipe q, thence pass ing down the inlet-ports 't' 'i and entering the peripheral chambers c 0, driving around the shaft 6 until the stops 6 6 pass the abutments ff in these two peripheral grooves, when the steam behind the said stops escapes through the ports j j, flows through the passages m '11, respectively, and thence through the ports 1 to the larger peripheral grooves d d, from which it ultimately escapes through the outlet-ports i i and passages o p to the main exhaust 1, provided in the cylinder.

When'the valve is in the positionindicated in Fig. 4:, the steam enters the ports a, 41', and

2' directly to both sets of grooves, so that the engine then works as a high-pressureengine,

not exhausting from the grooves c c to the grooves d (1.

The valve can be adjusted in position by suitable means, and in the drawings is shown controlled by the rod 3, which passes through a stufling box in the valve-chest 7c and is hinged to an operating-lever t, pivoted at t to the bracket it upon the cylinder of the motor.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. In a rotary motor, the combination with a cylinder, of a drum having one or more eccentric tapered peripheral grooves formed therein, each groove being stopped at one point and of one or more sliding abutinents CHARLES TUCKFIELD.

WVitnesses:

O. G. REDFERN, A. ALBUTT. 

